MAKING MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLEHILLS OVER SHARIA LAW!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System From a Godly Perspective).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church Kpeyegyi Abuja Nigeria {Vol. 8.NO 333. 29th December, 2019.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32). . PRAY & FAST EVERY WEDNESDAY TO STOP BLOODSHED IN NIGERIA!

MAKING MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLEHILLS OVER SHARIA LAW!
[NEW YEAR 2020 EDITION.]
WHO among the religious elites in Nigeria that would claim ignorance  of the Islamic Sharia Law, especially when it is given adequate prominence in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, which is 20 years old, this December, except mischief makers, confusionists and bigots!

Sections 260 – 279 are devoted to explicitly to analyze the Establishment, of Sharia Courts of Appeal, Appointment of Grand Kadi and Kadis, Constitution, Practice and Procedure of both the Federal and States Sharia Courts of Appeal without creating any form of ambiguity and allowed governments at both levels to apply discretion in implementation!

Wikipedia classifies “Shari-ah” as an Arabic word, meaning “divination” and which refers to God’s immutable divine law and also defines Sharia law as a religious law derived from Islamic precepts of the Qur’an/Hadith and forming part of the Islamic tradition.

Recently, Wednesday, 25th December, 2019, the incumbent Chief Justice of Nigeria, advocated that Sharia education should be conducted in Arabic language at the university level for it to gain more prominence among the adherents but his postulation attracted a barrage of condemnations/vilifications from the social media subscribers, professional and religious bodies, who are programmed to oppose any thought or ideas from all quarters, high or low without bordering to interrogate or verify the integrity of such thoughts!

They delight in throwing away the baby with the bath water!

FALSEHOOD AGAINST THE CJN BY “LEARNED BROTHERS”!
Judging from his impressive resume and professional diligence, no critic can succeed to smear or impugn Chief Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad’s character as to classify him as an advocate for Islamisation Agenda of Nigeria considering the fact that he is an authority when it comes to analytical details of the Islamic Religious Laws and Jurisprudence, who studied and received the bachelor, master and doctorate degrees in LAW from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria between 1980 and 1998, having been called to the BAR in the year1981, the same year he graduated from the Nigerian Law School!

While We might ignore the ranting of illiterate users of the social media, We completely disagree with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), which castigated the erudite legal luminary that he was neither a lawyer nor was he called to the BAR, contrary to the prescribed qualifications as stipulated in Section 261 (1) (2) (3) (a) (b) (i) (ii), with which he got appointments in his former positions as Judge of both the Sharia and the Appeal Courts respectively.
The Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN), rejected attacks on the person of the CJN by Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Afenifere, Ohaneze,Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Middle Belt Group and described the criticisms as an act of religious intolerance and advised them to desist from “fuelling  Islamophobia agenda!

This 67-year-old Nigerian Jurist is the highest ranking judicial officer and Head of the Supreme Court, whose position was confirmed by the Senate on 16th July, 2019, is in no way a man of controversy, although some critics made mountains of his appointment following the travail and subsequent exit of his predecessor, Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen.

THE SHARIA EDUCATION ADVOCACY BY THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF NIGERIA!
Chief Justice Tanko Muhammad, who rose through the ranks was once a Kadi, and later a Justice of the Nigerian Courts of Appeal, made his presentation with mindset of encouraging more awareness of academic interests among Islamic Faith practitioners at the tertiary level in order disabuse the lukewarm attitude of academicians should champion and re-invigorate the noble cause through the language of ISLAM which is ARABIC and not ENGLISH!

CHRISTIANITY and ISLAM are the TWO major Faith-based religions that are very prominent in Nigeria with the former having greater number of adherents in the SOUTH, while the later holds sway in the NORTH. Since Sharia gained public attention  in 1999, because of its inclusiveness in the 1999 Constitution, no Southern State adopted its tenets nor practiced its laws because THEY ARE NOT BINDING ON THE CITIZENS  NIGERIA IS A SECULAR STATE – ie, a State without an adopted religion! It is also noteworthy that of about the TEN Northern States that “practice” Sharia, only Kano and Zamfara seemed to show some level of seriousness in the implementation of the law which traverses Islamic criminal justice, procedural matters, marriage and divorce, issues relating to children, financial legislation , among others.

WHEN DID IT BECOME AN OFFENCE FOR A NIGERIAN CITIZEN TO EXERCISE HIS/HER FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT OF SPEECH OR OPINION? IS JUSTICE TANKO THE AUTHOR OF THE SHARIA LAW, WHICH WAS PRESCRIBED AS PANACEA FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE AND HAD BEEN IN EXISTENCE FROM THE TIME OF PROPHET MOHAMMED, FOUNDER OF ISLAM?

The CJN is a Muslim whose religion embraces the Sharia Law and has the fundamental right to express his opinion which did not contradict any extant law
From intensive and painstaking research – Sharia Law as practiced in Nigeria is LIBERAL and advocates good governance, sane society where rights and opportunities are apportioned in gender-friendly proportions to avoid infringements on any side.
The CJN believes that if Sharia Law was taught in Arabic instead of English at the tertiary level, the Muslim academia would be in better position to propagate the religious tenets adequately to reach out to more adherents across board.

Our research also clearly revealed that all tenets of the Islamic Faith, were geared toward social justice, equal life opportunities for all adherents and societies devoid of violence in all forms; but like in every society/community, some extremists or fundamentalist would step outside acceptable norms to oppose, disagree and kick against social and religious laws meant to ensure peaceful co-existence!

MUST ANYONE CONDEMN ANOTHER’S RELIGION IN A SECULAR STATE- ESPECIALLY WHEN IT DID NOT ADVOCATE VIOLENCE?
At XMAS, President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the gruesome murder through beheading of 11 Christian hostages, who were abducted in Bornu State, by a faction of the Islamist Boko Haram, fighting under the banner of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which claimed retaliation for their leader who died during US raid in Syria in October, 2019!
Although ISWAP deliberately timed the senseless killings to coincide with Xmas to infuriate Christians with the intention to cause a religious war but, President Buhari pleaded with all Nigerians not to allow the dastard act to divide them as a united nation.

US PLACES NIGERIA ON “RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION” WATCH-LIST!
Shortly before Christmas, Friday 20th December, 2019, the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, announced that his country has placed Nigeria on its Special Watch-List (SWL), of countries that engage in severe religious persecution!
What an irony of fate! The same US sent its troops to raid Syria in October 2019, killed scores of ISWAP leaders and their ranks only for the terrorist group to murder CHRISTIAN S in Nigeria at Xmas instead of attacking the US Military Base!
Wikitionary defines Islam as, “a monotheistic Abrahamic religion followed by Muslims that is based on the teachings of Muhammad and the Qur’an.” 

CONTROVERSY OF SHARIA: SINCE 1999!
HOW MANY STATES PRACTICE SHARIA IN NIGERIA? ABOUT TEN.
ANY NEGATIVE IMPACT OF SHARIA LAW ON CHRISTIANITY OR OTHER RELIGIONS? NO OFFICIAL DOCUMENTATION.
HOW HAS SHARIA LAW FAIRED IN ZAMFARA, KANO & OTHER SHARIA STATES? NO PUBLIC RESISTANCE FROM MUSLIMS WHO ARE SUBJECT TO THE LAW!
NO RELIGION PREACHES VIOLENCE, discrimination, tribalism, hatred, nepotism, hate speech, intolerance, bigotry, etc, but LOVE!
CRITICS SHOULD NOT DISMISS THE MESSAGE AND THE MESSENGER WITHOUT VETTING THE AUTHENTICITY AND BENEFITS OF SUCH INFORMATION TO THE SOCIETY IN A DEMOCRACY SUCH AS NIGERIA, EVEN IF THEY WERE CONTROVERSIAL!
“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.’’ (Prov 11:14)

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to:  facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com,

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066. G-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.